The conventional method for preparing hamburger patties involves the steps of obtaining the ground meat, dividing the meat into roughly equal portions, forming these portions by hand into separate, roughly circular flat disc-shaped patties and then transferring the formed patties to the cooking surface. For the person preparing the meal, this method is time-consuming and tedious particularly if a large number of patties are desired. The meat must be continually handled by the person preparing the food which creates the risk of contamination if the conditions of preparation are not sanitary. The patties formed are often non-uniform in dimension and weight. Furthermore, because the pressure that can be applied in forming the meat into patties is limited, the cohesiveness of the meat is often poor which may cause the patties to fall apart during cooking, particularly where patties of small thickness are desired.